STANFORD, Calif. – Opening the 2024 NCAA Tournament on Friday night from Cagan Stadium, No. 14 Stanford (14-4-1) exploded for five goals to earn a 5-0 shutout over UC Santa Barbara (8-6-9) to advance to the tournament’s second round.
The Cardinal, which had previously maxed out at three goals on two occasions this year, received goals from Charlotte Kohler, Andrea Kitahata, Lizzie Boamah and Lumi Kostmayer, in addition to an own goal from UCSB that opened the scoring in the 21st minute.
Dominating in all facets of the match, Stanford posted a 35-7 advantage in shots and did not allow a shot on goal while putting 16 of its own on frame to force UCSB goalkeeper Maddie Buckley into 12 saves.
After knocking on the door early in the match, Stanford final broke through in the 21st minute as Kitahata sent a ball across the box where it hit off a Gaucho defender and found the back of the net.
Kohler quickly doubled the advantage to 2-0 in the 23rd minute after stealing an errant pass in the UCSB defensive end and lacing a shot into the upper-right corner of the goal for her fourth tally of the season.
After taking a 2-0 lead into the break, freshmen Kohler and Eleanor Klinger keyed the first of three second-half goals for the Cardinal in the 53rd minute. Kohler played a ball onto Klinger, who received the pass, cut it to her left and sent a perfect ball to Kitahata in the box. The native of Hillsborough, Calif. took one touch before delivering her right-footed shot off the mitts of Buckley and through for her team-best eighth goal of the year.
Boamah wasted no time pushing the advantage to 4-0, corralling a loose ball following a Stanford corner kick in the 54th minute and one-timing a left-footed shot into the net from the penalty spot.
The finishing touches were provided by Kostmayer in the 78th minute as the junior was in perfect position for a putback following a shot from Mia Bhuta. The UCSB keeper did well to deny Bhuta’s initial strike, but her save fell to Kostmayer’s foot as she spun and unleashed a rocket of a shot that left no chance for UCSB’s defense.
The Cardinal will advance to face the winner of No. 6 seed Rutgers and UConn next Friday in Arkansas. Game time is to be determined. The second-seeded Razorbacks shut out Oklahoma State 4-0 on Friday to earn the right to host a pair of matches next weekend, beginning with a clash with the winner of No. 7 seed Pepperdine and California.
GAME NOTES:
- The Cardinal is making its 33rd NCAA Tournament appearance, including its 26th in the last 27 seasons … has compiled a 71-24-8 record in NCAA Tournament play … has now reached the second round in 26 of the 33 appearances
- Stanford opened the NCAA Tournament at home for the 23rd time in program history ... hosted the first round in 13 straight seasons from 2007-19 ... is a perfect 22-0-0 in first-round matches played at home (received a first-round bye in 1999) … has now won 17 straight home postseason matches, with the last loss coming November 18, 2016 to Santa Clara (1-0 2OT) … is 45-1-2 over the last 48 postseason home games dating back to 2008
- Stanford’s five goals topped the three scored vs. UC Irvine (August 18) and at San Diego State (August 22)
- Stanford’s 35 shots were a season high, surpassing the 30 at San Francisco (August 15) ... are the most for the Cardinal since posting 38 vs. Cal Poly on September 4, 2022
- Kohler recorded her first career match with at least one goal and one assist … she now owns four goals and four assists for 12 points
- Kitahata has now contributed at least one point in 10 of her last 18 matches … has five points in her last two matches after scoring a goal and adding an assist vs. California on October 31 … owns a team-high 21 points off eight goals and five assists
- The Cardinal has now won nine straight matches over UCSB and is outscoring the Gauchos 30-3 in those contests … improves to 6-2-1 at home against UCSB
- Stanford owns a 119-7-10 record at Cagan Stadium since the start of the 2014 season
- Stanford has posted a shutout in 11 of its 19 matches on the season and has managed a clean sheet in 31 of its last 52 contests overall
- The clean sheet was Haley Craig’s 10th of the season